A Fishcake and His Dragon
by pain17ification
Summary: Tired of being alone and being called a "demon", young Naruto tries a dangerous seal, hoping to summon a fellow "demon". Instead, he gets a busty Ex-Goddess Dragon, and she decides to stay with him upon his request. With the addition of this eccentric being, Naruto's life will change for the better; gaining experiences that others can only dream of. Naruto/Lucoa story!
1. Episodes 1-3

**So, I've been on a real kick on watching this anime called** **Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid** **. Some of you may know it, others may not; but in either case, I love the eccentricities and silliness of the series.**

 **Now, I'm a simple guy with simple pleasures, and one of those pleasures is an appreciation for the fairer sex in all forms of media (real, animated, drawn, etc.). A character that quickly caught my interest was Quetzalcoatl, or as she's known in the anime "Lucoa".**

 **Don't judge me. I know you are, and I want you to stop! *pouting***

 **Anyway, with my good friend** _ **HaretaSora**_ **, I decided to make a story featuring Naruto and Lucoa together. To be honest, he had a similar idea to the one I'm presenting to you; but he is still trying to find time to type it up.**

 **Be sure to be on the lookout for it, and also check out his other stories! He's a good author!**

 **Before we begin, I wanted you all to know that I'm trying something different here. Instead of full-length chapters, each chapter will be broken down into "episodes" (roughly around two or three episodes per chapter).**

 **Anywho, on with the story!**

 **For future reference: I OWN NOTHING!**

* * *

 _A Fishcake and his Dragon_

* * *

 _Episode 1:_

 _The Sad Wish of a "Demon Fishcake"_

* * *

"Stupid jerks…"

This was the grumbling of a nine-year-old blonde with whiskered cheeks and stunning blue eyes. He was kicking a small pebble as he walked through the alleyways of the Hidden Leaf Village, trying to get over another day of people bringing him down with their cruel words and judging glares.

For as long as he could remember, he had been referred to as a _demon_ by the populace. He didn't understand why they called him that; he didn't even know what a _demon_ was. All he understood was that it was something that the villagers didn't like; something that made him _different_ from them.

He kicked the pebble again, and it fell into a drain; out of reach. He sighed sadly at that, not feeling up to returning to his lonely apartment yet. He could've gone to Ichiraku Ramen for something to eat, but he didn't want the father/daughter duo to know he was feeling down. They had enough to worry about without him taking their time.

Deciding to clear his head, he walked towards the training grounds of the village to watch the ninja practice. It was something he enjoyed doing since it helped him see what ninja training was really like instead of the boring theoretical crap they tried to teach at the Academy.

He'd been there since his enrollment at age eight, and he didn't feel like he had learned a thing. He found it easier to understand if he could see someone doing something rather than explaining it to him.

Arriving at a random field, he saw an older man with silver hair that spiked upward and to the side sitting down and reading an orange book. The man kept reading for a few moments and the boy was about to leave before he saw the man put away his book and bite his thumb through his clothed mouth.

He went through a set of seals too quick for the boy to follow before he set his palm on the ground. To the boy's shock and wonder, a trio of dogs appeared alongside a deck of cards.

"You guys up for some poker? I'm honestly too bored to reread my book again," the man suggested, earning shrugs from the dogs before he shuffled the cards and started to deal.

The boy had seen enough though. To him, he saw exactly what he needed to do to make his home not so lonely anymore.

First, he would have to wait for dark. And then…

* * *

The Ninja Library. A treasure trove of archived knowledge that was free to access; provided you had the correct clearance for certain things. And the best part of the library, one might ask?

The Restricted Section; the place where stolen – but deemed _safe_ – techniques and information were stored. Only those with Jonin Level Clearance could enter this section; but even they needed permission from the Hokage.

However, nobody ever counted on the Prank Master from Hell to sneak in and take a stroll. It was amazing how a section so prepared for ninja was so ill-prepared for a mischievous child.

Walking through the aisles of books and scrolls, he looked up at each section in hopes of finding something useful. So far, he had passed through sections labeled _Mist_ , _Lightning_ , _Sand_ , and _Rain_. However, nothing captured his attention as he walked around. It wasn't until he caught sight of a section labeled _Demon Country_ that he stopped walking.

A section devoted to a country of demons? That sounded perfect for a _demon_ like him! Besides, it's not like anyone else would use it if the villagers' distaste for _demons_ was anything to go by.

With a smile, he walked up to the shelf, frowning at the lack of inventory for this section. He picked up a random scroll and opened it, seeing it go over the geography of the country and how a Priestess that can see fortunes lived there.

While interesting, it wasn't what he was looking for. Still, he wouldn't mind going to visit the Priestess of his _home country_. Maybe she'd be more accepting than the villagers.

Moving to the next scroll, he rolled it open and saw that it mentioned a Summoning Technique. Curious, he read further and saw that it was almost exactly like what the silver-haired man from before pulled off. However, there were three different versions of the summoning; and each of them summoned _demons_ of different types.

Still, in the boy's innocent mind, all he saw was that these techniques could summon fellow _demons_ like himself. It'd be nice to be around people like himself; even if it was only for a short while.

Anything to not be so lonely anymore.

The next hour was spent looking for the three different methods before he put everything else back and left the library. No one was any wiser of the boy's infiltration.

* * *

Having spent the previous night actively reading the three different methods, the boy was naturally tired during class; not that it mattered. He was ignored by his instructors, even when he had questions about the topics at hand. This was one of the reasons why he constantly ditched school or pranked his teachers.

If they weren't going to do their jobs and teach him, why should he show up or respect them? That was his thought process, anyway.

It was a relief to leave school that day, and he rushed home in excitement. Entering his apartment, he was surprised to see the Hokage there waiting for him; at least until he remembered that it was the first of the month.

"Here's this month's living expenses," the Old Man informed the boy, setting an envelope down on the table before heading for the door. "Don't waste it."

"Hey…" he couldn't help but call out, sitting on the counter near his sink. When the Old Man turned to him, the boy asked, "Why don't I have a mom or dad…?"

He hated feeling like this; so sad and confused, yet also angry. He had asked this before, but the Old Man didn't give him an answer then. He was hoping that, with the years between the first time he asked, he would finally get a real answer.

The Old Man sighed at the boy, his eyes closed to avoid the piercing look of his blue orbs. "Didn't I tell you before?" he asked rhetorically. "Although it was some time ago…"

His anger grew as he cut off the Old Man. "That's not what I want to hear! You're gonna talk about when the Kyuubi ran amok, right?"

Silence filled the room, and the boy looked at the floor while the Old Man waited for him to speak again.

"That's not what I'm asking about! I just want to know," he continued, turning back to the Old Man as he leapt down from his counter and onto the wood flooring. "Who were my parents? What kind of people were they?"

He looked to the Old Man, his blue orbs glistening pleadingly for some kind of answer that would help his damaged heart. The two stared at one another before the Old Man turned back around and resumed leaving the apartment.

"There's no use asking about that," he shot down as he walked off, missing the look of hurt and sorrow in the boy's face. "It won't bring the dead back." (1)

The boy stood in the doorway as the Old Man left his apartment, silently letting some tears fall at once again being denied a straight answer about his parents. It hurt so much to have the Hokage, someone that the village respected, wave off his questions and throw back the fact his parents were dead in his face.

Wiping his eyes, the boy frowned at the floor before he moved about his apartment. Locking the front door and windows, closing the blinds, and locking himself in his room, the boy opened the three scrolls of _Demon Summoning_ and started to work on mixing them together.

After all, if a single method brought forth one _demon_ , then the three of them together should bring three _demons_. It made sense to him, at least.

Carefully drawing the three summoning circles so that they overlapped each other in a triangle pattern, Naruto Uzumaki bit his thumb and drew blood before slamming his hands on the mixed formula. Pumping his chakra, he started the process and lit up his room in a brilliant crimson glow.

* * *

 _Episode 2:_

 _The Ex-Goddess Arrives_

* * *

"Thanks for having me over, Kobayashi-san."

This mention of thanks came from a woman with unreal curves and flawless skin. Her eyes were closed – though they didn't hamper her vision – and her golden blonde hair fell to her shapely rear, bleeding from blonde to green and finally blue. Her clothes were simple: pink shoes with black socks that reached up to her thighs, booty short jeans, a black sleeveless top that was stretched by her chest, and a pink ball cap that had a pair of horns poking out the sides.

Simple, but they hugged Lucoa's body wonderfully.

Her host, Kobayashi, was a young woman with red hair and glasses, dressed in a button-down shirt (that emphasized her lacking breasts) and jeans while her hair was tied in a simple tail. She was enjoying a cup of coffee with the woman while another woman with horns cleaned the dishes.

The third woman was, oddly, dressed in maid attire; but she didn't seem bothered by it. In fact, she looked more than happy to wear the uniform as she cleaned. This was Tohru, a Dragon from the Chaos Faction who left her world for this human one. She met Kobayashi one night and, after the human helped remove a sword from her Dragon form, became the woman's maid.

There was a third Dragon that Kobayashi knew; this one with a human form looking like a small child. This was Kanna, and she had followed after Tohru in the hope of bringing her back home. But, after Tohru declared her decision to stay with Kobayashi – saying it was out of _love_ – Kanna was offered the choice to stay after it was revealed she couldn't get back home on her own.

Currently, Tohru had invited Lucoa over to catch up since the two were close acquaintances. Kobayashi was still surprised that Lucoa – who's true name was Quetzalcoatl – was once a Goddess; even going so far as to label herself as Ex-Goddess, despite being a Dragon. The four women enjoyed some dinner and drinks while Lucoa caught up with her old friend.

"Well, I should get going," Lucoa bid, setting down her cup of coffee and standing up from her seat with a stretch.

"So soon?" Tohru asked sadly.

"I can't stay here for long, or else things may go outta whack, y'know?" the Ex-Goddess explained with a gentle smile. Her laidback nature made her easy to get along with, and she was usually all smiles. "I'll come visit again soon, though. I promise."

"It was nice meeting you," Kobayashi bid, offered the busty Dragon a smile. "You're welcome here next time you visit."

"Thanks. I'll see you soon, Kanna-chan."

Kanna, who was enjoying some fruit, gave Lucoa a silent nod before resuming her treat. This made Lucoa chuckle at how Kanna was before she left Kobayashi's apartment and headed off under the nighttime sky.

Heading for a park, she felt that she was alone and opened a portal between the realms before jumping through it. The Space Between was full of vast colors and brilliant lights, with each realm looking like a crystal ball that showed images of their inhabitants. She passed by many different realms, each with their own unique features and lifestyles.

However, it was when she was passing a certain realm that she stopped in place as her eyes opened slightly in surprise; showing heterochromatic orbs. Her right eye had a green iris with a distinctive pattern and a black pupil that had a yellow slit in its center. The left eye had a black iris, yellow pupil, and green slit.

"Wait… Is someone performing a Ritual Summoning?" she mused aloud, looking at the representation of the realm she had stopped next to. Using her power, she had the image change to the summoner in question and saw that it was a young blonde boy. "He's mixing three different methods together? That's not good." Waving her hand to brush her fingers against the ball, she made an opening large enough for her to go through. "Might as well!" she declared as she dived through headfirst.

* * *

From Naruto's point of view, the centermost part of his triple summoning circle gained a brilliant glow before a woman popped out from his floor. The lights from the summoning hid her body from view below her face, but he saw that she was smiling calmly with her eyes closed.

Another flash made him cover his eyes, not wanting to be blinded and unable to see his summoned demon. When he uncovered them, he was slightly surprised to see that the woman looked human, save for the horns coming from her odd hat; though, they could've been decorations for said hat. Thankfully, for his innocence, she was clothed as she stood in the center of his summoning circle.

"I… I did it!" Naruto cheered excitedly, earning her attention. "I summoned a demon!"

She was confused about his excitement, knowing that only the desperate or selfish ever chose to summon demons. Based on what she was feeling from him, she deduced that he was of the former category; desperate.

"Sorry, sweetie," she apologized, stopping his cheers. "But, I'm not a demon. I'm actually a Dragon."

His look of disappointment tore at her, but what he said next almost made her snap. "But…I wanted to summon a demon. I don't want to be the only one here…"

 _'Who in their right mind would think this little boy is a demon?!'_ she mentally raged, staying calm on the outside so she wouldn't frighten him. "What makes you think you're a demon?"

Hugging his legs, Naruto replied, "Almost everyone here in the village calls me that. I don't know what it even means," he missed her twitch, "but I know that it's obviously different than what a human is."

"But why would you try to summon a demon? They're not exactly the nicest of people."

He flinched at that, and she mentally cursed herself for bringing him down. "Yesterday, I saw someone summon some dogs to keep him company, and I thought I could do the same. So, I snuck into the Ninja Library last night…"

 _'Ninja…?'_ she repeated in her head. _'Must be what the people here call those with power.'_

"I went into the Restricted Section to try and find anything on summoning. I saw this section labeled Demon Country, so I thought it was perfect since I'm a demon."

"Let me stop you right there," Lucoa cut off, getting his attention. "You are _not_ a demon. You're human, just like everyone else here in this place. Demons are not something you want to be associated with."

His blue eyes were wide at that. "But then…why does everyone call me _demon_ and treat me so badly?" He looked down with a sniffle. "I didn't do anything to them…"

Her heart went out to him, and she moved over to crouch down so that she could pull him into her arms. Resting his head against her bosom, she brushed some fingers through his hair as she tried to comfort him.

"Hey now… No tears, sweetie. I don't want to see a cute kid like you crying when you should be happy." She held him for a few more moments before holding him out, yet still having her hands on his shoulders. Removing one, she used a thumb to brush away some of his tears while giving him a gentle smile. "What's your name?"

Fighting more sniffles, the boy answered, "I'm Naruto Uzumaki…"

"A cute little Fishcake, huh?" she complimented teasingly, earning a pout from him. This only made her giggle, and he slowly smiled back. "See? There's the smile I was hoping for~!"

He enjoyed how she tussled the top of his hair, feeling a comfort he had never experienced before. "So…what's your name?"

"You can call me Lucoa. So, you tried to summon a demon so that you wouldn't be lonely anymore. Do you live by yourself?" He nodded sadly, making her frown slightly. "And your parents…?"

"The Old Man told me that they died when I was born; but he won't tell me who they are or what they were like. He said that there wasn't any use asking about them… That it wouldn't bring the dead back…"

She fumed at that, not seeing why this _Old Man_ was keeping information on Naruto's parents away from him. He had a right to know!

"But," he continued, bringing her back from her anger, "I was able to summon you, right?"

The desperation in his voice nearly broke her heart, and she couldn't find it in her to tell him that she intercepted his summoning so that no real demons would show up. So, she just nodded with a sad smile.

"Then…can you stay here?" he pleaded, making her heart ache again. "I don't want to be alone anymore…"

He looked so defeated standing before her, but there was a sliver of hope that he was clinging to with everything he had. Part of Lucoa told her that if she left, he would never recover from the emotional pain he had gone through. Being alone was its own torture, and a child's loneliness would lead to making the wrong decisions.

Making a decision, she reached her hand and cupped his cheek, making him look up from the floor and see her smiling with her eyes opened slightly.

"The way I see, if something is summoned it stays with the summoner until they don't need it anymore. Right?" He nodded in agreement with her assessment. "Then, because you summoned me, I'll stay with you for as long as you need. Okay?"

His eyes went wide, growing misty before he started to sob and leapt into her arms. As he wept, he choked out, "Thank you…!"

Her smile remained as she held him, feeling the negative emotions he was radiating die down under the relief and joy his heart was feeling. She let him vent in her arms, sitting down to lean against the wall. It took some time, but eventually his venting gave way to exhaustion and he fell asleep against her with a peaceful smile on his face.

The image made her mentally gush at how adorable he looked, and she stood up to carry him to his bed. Setting him down, she then sidled up beside him so that he could snuggle against her; his head once again resting against her breast. Reaching over him, she wrapped an arm around his frame to hold him close as she relaxed herself to sleep.

"Don't worry, Naru-baby…" she whispered. "I'm not going anywhere." (2)

* * *

 _Episode 3:_

 _First Day with a Dragon_

* * *

Morning came too soon for Lucoa. It started when she shifted in her sleep and felt that she was alone on the bed. Cracking an eye open, she saw that Naruto had left and there was the smell of food coming from the kitchen.

Curious, she got up with a stretch before leaving his room. Entering the kitchen, she saw that he was making a simple breakfast of eggs and rice, cooking enough for two people. This made her smile since he was being considerate.

"Morning, Naru-baby," she greeted, making him turn away from the stove and offer her a smile.

"Good morning. Sorry that I don't have much to cook with, but I was going to go shopping today."

She smiled at his concern, waving them off as she sat down at the table. "No worries. I'll go with you so that I can see what this place is like."

Naruto served her some food and offered her some chopsticks before he served himself and sat down. Her clapped his hands together and offered thanks for the food, making Lucoa giggle.

"What?"

"I'm just surprised that you honestly thought you were a demon. Demons don't care about gods or other divine beings. If you really were a demon, then you'd certainly stand out with that."

He blushed in embarrassment, making her giggle again before she reached over and gently ruffled his hair. "So…demons really are bad?"

"I've met a couple that were decent; but most of them aren't. Why do you ask?"

"On the night I was born, the village was attacked by a demon called the Kyuubi. It's a giant Nine-Tailed Fox that is said to be super powerful. The Fourth Hokage gave up his life to beat it."

She mentally frowned at that. If such a powerful demon truly existed, then it would be impossible for a human to defeat it one-on-one. Whatever this Fourth Hokage did, it must've been an alternative method of _defeating_ the Demon Fox.

"Sounds like this Fourth Hokage was pretty talented. Do you want to be Hokage?"

"I don't know…" he answered softly, taking a bite of his food.

"Why not?"

"Because I did at first; but now I'm not sure. People respect the Hokage, and they look to them to protect the village and its people. But…I don't know if I can bring myself to try and protect people who treated me like garbage and called me a _demon_ …"

She hummed in understanding. "I can understand that. It's hard to be concerned for others when they've proved they wouldn't do the same. But, do you think you have it in you to prove to them that they were wrong about you?"

He was silent at that, taking a few more bites of his food. "I don't know if I should…"

She smiled sadly at his response, knowing that it was mainly his hurt that was answering for him.

Gently grabbing his hand and getting his attention, she spoke, "You don't need to make a decision right away. You've got plenty of time to decide what you want to do about them. Just know that I believe in you."

He smiled gratefully. "Thanks, Lucoa-chan…"

"Anytime, Naru-baby."

He pouted at that. "I'm not a baby…"

"Maybe, but you're _my_ baby~," she teased.

"Lucoaaaaa…!" he whined, making her laugh.

* * *

Naruto was used to being either insulted or ignored by the villagers. It was how they had behaved since he started walking through the streets.

So, seeing them look his way in surprise was both different and unsettling; especially since their surprise seemed to stem from the fact that Lucoa was walking beside him. Thankfully, the Dragon took their looks in stride as she looked at the different aspects of the village and followed the whiskered blonde to the village market.

"This place is kinda different from Japan. I get the same Asian feel, but your village seems way behind the times from Kobayashi-san's home," she mused.

"Who's that?"

"She's a human from another realm that some friends of mine are staying with. I'll take you with me to visit them someday."

"Really?" he asked in surprise.

"Of course! I want to show you off to them, after all~!" she answered with an excited giggle.

He sweatdropped at her response, chuckling awkwardly. "Right…"

Entering the market district of the village, Naruto led Lucoa past some of the food stands and ignored the looks being sent his way. Lucoa filed away those looks for later, mentally frowning at how such a large portion of the village would seek to ostracize a sweet boy like her Naru-baby.

"I'll take some rice and bean paste, please," Naruto spoke, grabbing his toad wallet to grab some money.

The stand owner gave him an annoyed look, but he caught a look from Lucoa, who opened her left eye slightly and scared him with the black orb within. Swallowing a lump in his throat, he nodded to Naruto and grabbed him a bag of rice and a small case of bean paste.

Surprised at how easy the transaction went this time, Naruto paid the correct amount and grabbed his purchased goods before moving to another stand to purchase some eggs. Next were oranges, apples, and finally spices. To his relief, each transaction went as easy as the first; which never happened before.

Lucoa smiled proudly behind her blonde _summoner_ as they left the market district and made a stop at a local convenience store. While there, he bought some milk and juice before he caught Lucoa looking at the sake section.

Walking over to her, he asked, "Do you want some?"

"Hmm? No, that's alright. I know that you're on limited funds, and I probably shouldn't anyway."

"Why not?"

She blushed faintly in embarrassment. "Well…alcohol is fine in moderation and if it's brewed correctly. But if you have too much, or if it's not made right, or if it was _tampered with_ , then it could end up badly for whoever drinks it."

"Oh… Did you have bad alcohol before?" he asked innocently.

"…Yeah, and it led me to doing something stupid that cost me my job."

Naruto paid for the milk and juice before he and Lucoa headed back to his apartment. "What was your job before?"

"Believe it or not, I was once a Goddess."

"Wait, really?" he asked in shock.

"Yep! But I lost that job, so I like to call myself an Ex-Goddess. Either that or Feathered Serpent…or Venusian even!"

"I don't know what that last one means, but it's pretty cool that you were once a Goddess, Lucoa-chan! You must be super strong, right?"

She chuckled. "I'm strong enough," she answered modestly.

"Hey… You think you can teach me?"

"I don't think I can teach you any ninja stuff, Naru-baby. Sorry…"

"Well, what _can_ you teach me?"

She took a moment to think, tapping her bottom lip thoughtfully. "Well, I've access to vast magical power. Maybe I can help you learn magic?"

"That sounds cool," he agreed, an excited smile on his face.

"We'll need to help you channel magical energy before I can teach you anything, though. So, try to be patient, okay?"

"I can do that, ttebayo!"

A blush erupted on his face at the verbal tic, and it grew to supernova levels when he was snatched up into Lucoa's arms as she gushed, "Oh~! You have just the _cutest_ verbal tic, Naru-baby~!"

"I-It's not cute!" the boy argued, comically struggling to get out of her death hug. "I'm supposed to be a badass ninja! I can't be cute!"

"But you _are_ cute~!"

"LUCOA-CHAN!"

* * *

Later that afternoon, Naruto was seen practicing his kunai and shuriken training on the roof of his apartment building. Across from him was a human-shaped dummy that was riddled with cuts and puncture markings from previous practice sessions.

"There!" he cried, throwing a kunai with all his strength. Unknown to him, his stance and motion were off balance and the kunai went off-target. "Dammit…"

"You're too wobbly on your feet, Naru-baby," Lucoa spoke up, sitting on the bench the rooftop had. Getting up, she stood behind him and moved his legs and body into a different stance before asking, "How's that feel?"

He hummed thoughtfully as he gripped another kunai, going through his throwing motion without releasing the kunai. With a small frown, he then threw the kunai and saw that it landed exactly where he was aiming.

"See?" she asked rhetorically. "A good stance is a must for throwing things. Stance helps with balance, and balance helps with your aim. Understand?"

He nodded, though he was still frowning. "…This was how I was taught to throw kunai at the Academy. They've been teaching me the wrong way since my first year."

She fought a frown at that, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Hey… Don't think about that now. You're improving, and I'll help you if anything else feels wrong or if I spot something myself. Okay?"

Nodding again, he dropped his frown for a small smile. "Thanks, Lucoa-chan."

"Anytime, Naru-baby. Now, why don't we go to that ramen stand you were talking about before? I'm getting kinda hungry."

"Sure! I want you to meet Pops and Ayame-nee-chan too!" he agreed before he led her out of the apartment and down the road to Ichiraku Ramen.

* * *

"Order up!" Teuchi called from the kitchen, placing two bowls of freshly cooked ramen in the window for Ayame to grab.

"Thanks!" she bid, taking the bowls to her favorite customer and his guest. "Here you go, Naruto-kun. One miso ramen for you and a chicken ramen for your friend."

"Thanks, nee-chan!" he replied, breaking a pair of chopsticks and offering thanks before digging in.

Beside him, Lucoa took in the delicious aroma of the ramen and smiled in delight before joining Naruto in eating, the two blondes slurping up their ramen noodles happily before they both finished at the same time.

"As good as always, Pops!" Naruto called out to the kitchen.

"Hah! Would you expect anything less, my boy?" the man replied.

Lucoa wiped her mouth with a napkin. "That was delicious. Thanks!"

"We're glad you enjoyed it," Ayame bid, taking the empty bowls to the sink to wash later. "So, may I ask who you are? I don't think I've ever seen you before."

"Oh, that's because Lucoa-chan is a Dragon!" Naruto answered excitedly. "I accidentally summoned her into my apartment last night and she's staying with me. She's really nice, and her hair is awesome!"

Lucoa gushed at the praise thrown her way, grabbing her fellow blonde and hugging him enthusiastically. "Oh, my Naru-baby is such a charmer~!"

"Lucoa-chan…!" he whined in embarrassment, much to Ayame's amusement.

"Careful, Naruto-kun. You never know if something you say will be just the thing to win over a woman. Looks like Lucoa-san might have already staked her claim on you, though."

"And Dragons are pretty territorial with things they like~."

Naruto's ears were blowing out steam, his face was so red. "Not you too, nee-chan…"

She giggled and reached over to pinch his whiskered cheek before sighing dramatically. "It's a shame, really. I would've been more than happy to wait to marry you; but I don't want to compete with a Dragon," the waitress distressed playfully.

Teuchi was laughing boisterously from the kitchen while the two women giggled and Naruto pouted at the teasing thrown his way. However, Lucoa was happy to feel that Naruto's emotional pain was far away from this place. She made a mental note that the two Ichiraku were people he trusted and cared for, and that they provided a place where he could be happy.

Now, if only she could figure out why those odd people wearing those animal masks were following them since they left the apartment that morning.

* * *

It was well into the night, and Naruto was studying a scroll from the Academy while sitting in Lucoa's lap; something she insisted on so that she wouldn't have to read over his shoulder at the table. She had him lean back against her and rested her chin in his wild hair, which she found to be surprisingly soft; almost fur-like in touch.

"So, chakra is a blend of physical energy (chi) and spiritual energy (reiryoku)," Lucoa noted as she read the scroll with him. "And everyone has chakra?"

"Well, animals and plants have chakra too, according to this scroll," Naruto informed her. "It's a life essence that we need to survive and depleting it all can lead us to death or something close to it."

"Hmm…" she hummed, getting a feel for the chakra coming from the younger blonde. "Well, you certainly have chakra to spare from what I can feel."

What she didn't tell him was the secondary source of chakra she felt from within him; one that held chakra wilder and more potent than his own.

 _'I'm just imagining things… There's no way that they did_ that _to him… Right?'_ she mused to herself, worried and unsure. Unconsciously, she pulled him a bit closer, which caught his attention.

"You okay, Lucoa-chan?" he asked, sounding concerned.

"Huh? Oh, I'm fine. Just thinking about this scroll and how I can help you understand it," she answered, hiding her earlier worries.

"Well, I find it harder to understand anything when I'm just reading it. It's much easier to get when I see somebody demonstrating for me, or if I just see it for myself."

"Sounds like you're a kinesthetic learner, Naru-baby."

"Kin-what now?"

"It means you learn by _doing_ ," she simplified.

"Oh! Yeah, that sounds right! You're really smart, Lucoa-chan."

"Aww~! Little charmer," she gushed, nuzzling the top of his head and making him blush again.

The moment was interrupted by a knock at the apartment door. Lucoa pouted at their time being ruined while Naruto got out of her lap and walked to the door, opening it to the sight of an ANBU kunoichi wearing the Cat Mask.

"Uzumaki-san," the woman greeted politely.

"Uh, good evening…?" he greeted back unsurely, earning a faint chuckle from the operative.

"Relax, you're not in trouble. I'm just here to tell you that Hokage-sama wanted to talk with you and your…friend tomorrow in the morning. Preferably before noon."

"Well…I guess we can go talk to him. Did he say why?"

Shaking her masked head, Cat replied, "No. He only ordered me to tell you his wishes."

"I see…"

Truthfully, Naruto wanted to ignore the call just to spite the Old Man for withholding information on his parents. He was still feeling pretty sore about the way his questions were waved off. But he knew that ignoring the Hokage would lead to further problems; especially since he personally delivered Naruto's monthly stipend.

"We'll be there… Goodnight, Cat."

"Have a nice night, Uzumaki-san," she bid before vanishing in a blur, allowing Naruto to close the door and walk back into his living room.

"Everything okay, sweetie?" Lucoa asked in concern.

"The Old Man wants to talk to us tomorrow…"

"Oh… You don't sound like you want to go, though."

"I'm still mad at him for not telling me about my parents… But he gives me money every month for food and other things while taking care of my rent himself. If I get him mad at me, he might stop doing that."

"I see…" She waved him over, pulling him back into her lap so she could replace her chin atop his head. "I'll be with you when you talk to him. If anything happens, I'll help you."

Softly, almost in a whisper, he asked back, "You promise…?"

She lifted her head from his, letting him turn to look at her face. A smile formed on her lips as she gently brushed his head with her hand. "I promise, and a Dragon always keeps their word."

He slowly smiled back and hugged her, which she returned a second later. "You think I could be a Dragon too?"

"I think that you can be anything you want to be, Naru-baby…"

"Hey…" he whined, but he was still smiling in her embrace. "I told you I'm not a baby…"

She giggled at that, simply enjoying the warmth her little Fishcake gave off. _'It's funny… I thought it was odd how quickly Tohru got so attached to Kobayashi-san…'_

Looking down at the blonde slowly falling asleep in her arms, she brushed her fingers through his hair again with a tender smile.

 _'But I can see where she's coming from, now. Humans, no matter what realm, are so interesting. And some of them just have that certain spark that even Dragons can't ignore. Tohru noticed Kobayashi-san's spark, and I can see the same spark in Naruto-kun.'_

Ending her internal musings, she lifted up the sleeping boy, carrying him through the apartment and killing the lights before settling them both in bed. Letting him snuggle against her once again, she easily fell asleep with her Naru-baby in her arms.

Tomorrow, they would worry about the meeting with the Old Man. Tonight, they would simply enjoy their sleep.

* * *

 **1: This moment actually happened in the anime. Naruto was shown living on his own with Hiruzen delivering monthly stipends to him, and Naruto did ask about his parents. It was a moment that produced the FEELS since it was a somber moment of Naruto's childhood.**

 **2: In the English Dub of the** **Dragon Maid** **anime, Lucoa refers to Shouta (the boy she stays with) as "Shouta-baby". I wanted to incorporate that with Naruto, showing Lucoa's acceptance of him.**

* * *

 **Tada! Episodes 1-3 finished!**

 **How's everything look? Like I said, this will be different compared to my other stories; but I think that this method of writing will work best with this crossover.**

 **Did I portray the characters right? Will you come back for more?**

 **I hope you do!**

 **…please say you will…**

 **Until next time!**

 _ **~pain17ification~**_


	2. Episodes 4-6

**Hey guys!**

 **Sorry that this took so long. I was working extra shifts, then** _ **Tales of Vesperia**_ **came out on PS4 and took over my life just like the older Xbox 360 version.**

 **But, I'm back on track with this update!**

 **Disclaimer in first chapter**

* * *

 _A Fishcake and his Dragon_

 _Episode 4:_

 _Dragon meets the Old Monkey_

* * *

It was early the following morning when Naruto woke up, noticing that he was still in Lucoa's hold. Slowly, he got out of her embrace and exited his apartment to go to the rooftop. He approached the railing and leaned on it, his blue eyes watching as the sun started to rise over the horizon, bathing the skies in a brilliant mix of yellow, red, and orange.

"You look troubled," he heard Lucoa speak from behind him, not moving as she stood to his left and leaned on the railing with him.

"I'm still thinking about what I wanted before and what I'm feeling now…"

"You wanted to be the Hokage. What is that, exactly?"

"The Hokage is supposed to be the leader of the Hidden Leaf. They command the ninja forces and are usually the strongest ninja. The Old Man is called the Third Hokage, but he had to take the position again after the Fourth Hokage died."

"And ninja… What do they do?"

He turned to her, noting how she looked both curious and concerned about the answer.

"Ninja are a military force of the Hidden Villages. But I learned at the Academy that we're also mercenaries, scouts, and sometimes assassins."

Her eyes became more visible at the last part, showing her surprise.

"We lost half of the class after we heard that. They were afraid of being sent out to kill someone."

"They should be," she stressed, looking away from him. "To take a life, no matter the reason, is not something that should be glorified or rewarded. All life is precious, even if some people lose their way. But when someone takes a life, they carry the stain of that kill on their soul until the end."

Naruto was silent as she spoke, taking in everything she said.

"You wanted to be the Hokage, who would send these ninja on those missions. What do you think about the responsibility that would be involved with those orders?"

"…I don't know…" he answered truthfully. "At first, all I wanted was to be respected and not be seen as a _demon_. And I thought that becoming the Hokage would be the way to do that."

"Naruto… Just because you're in a position of authority and power doesn't mean that you'll immediately be respected. I was once seen as a Goddess, and I know that there were people who still saw me negatively."

Thoughts of the opposing faction of dragons came to mind as she said that.

"I know that now…" he admitted. "I just wanted people to stop calling me _demon_."

She placed a hand gently on his whiskered cheek. "You are _not_ a demon, Naruto-kun. You're a wonderful young man who's been hurt by those around you. But I can also see that you're full of warmth and kindness, and that those who care about you can see that as well. Those two at that ramen stand can see it, and I'm willing to bet that there are other people who see it that you haven't met yet."

"You mean like how you could when I summoned you?"

"Exactly!" she confirmed with a smile, pulling him close. "Don't let the negativity of others get to you. Focus on those who support you and treat you fairly; but focus on yourself most of all. If you see yourself as someone deserving of respect, then act like it."

She then held him out slightly so that she could wink playfully.

"Just don't let it get to your head, okay? I don't want to see my Naru-baby float away from a swelled head."

He smiled at her teasing and nodded. "I won't, Lucoa-chan."

"Good. Now, why don't we have a quick breakfast before we go meet the Hokage? I have a few questions to ask him myself."

Nodding again, he took the lead back to his apartment room to cook them so food.

* * *

Walking through the village streets, Naruto took time to point out a few places of interest to Lucoa as they made their way to the Hokage Tower. He led her past the Ninja Library (the same one he infiltrated a few nights past), the Ninja Academy, the hospital, and the gateway that led to the Training Grounds.

The two also absently noted how ninja of various ranks would leap across rooftops to get to their destinations while member of the ANBU would patrol the village itself. Lucoa asked about them, and Naruto admitted to not knowing much about the ANBU save for them being elite ninja who need to hide their identities for their safety.

Lucoa also filled in the missing blank on how hiding their identities also protected their loved ones, if an ANBU member had any.

Finally reaching the tower, the two blondes walked inside, and Naruto approached the check-in desk. "I'm here to see the Hokage," he informed the man working the front.

"You have an appointment, kid?" the man asked, looking up from his paperwork to regard the blonde Uzumaki.

"I was told to come see him this morning by an ANBU wearing a Cat Mask."

Nodding, the man made a slight gesture, which prompted another ANBU, this one wearing a Boar Mask, to appear. The two spoke quietly, and Naruto couldn't hear what they were saying before Boar disappeared once more.

"Go on ahead. He should be free at the moment."

Naruto nodded his thanks before he led Lucoa up the stairs of the tower, stopping at a large set of doors. He knocked once before he heard a reply.

"You may enter," the Hokage spoke up, prompting Naruto to open the door and enter the office with his companion. "Naruto. Thank you for coming."

Naruto said nothing in reply, silently stepping inside and sitting in front of the man's desk with Lucoa standing behind him. A frown was on his face as he stared at the elderly leader, and Lucoa placed a hand on his shoulder when she sensed his frustration.

"Who might you be, miss?" the Hokage continued.

"My name is Lucoa. I'm a friend of Naruto-kun's," she answered calmly. "I met him a couple of nights ago and have been spending time with him recently. He looked like he could use a friend."

"And where are you from? I don't recall ever seeing you in this village before."

"I'm from somewhere rather far from here. I came here by chance and met Naruto-kun by chance."

"I see," he replied, though he was giving her a straight look, showing her that she was under watch. "What exactly do you wish with young, Naruto? It's rare for anyone to take such a visible interest in him."

Naruto fought a flinch at that, his brows furrowing in anger at the man's words. Lucoa, with her hand still on his shoulder, gently squeezed to get him to calm his anger. He looked to her, and her gentle smile settled him down.

Sarutobi saw this and internally frowned at how much influence this unknown woman had over Naruto. As far as he knew, she held no ties to the village; which meant that she had no loyalty to the Hidden Leaf. This meant that, with enough influence, she could coax Naruto – the village's Jinchūriki – to leave without a second thought.

He couldn't let that happen.

"I fail to see the issue your question warrants, Lord Hokage," Lucoa spoke up, being sure to call him by his title. "Naruto-kun is a sweet young man who simply needs a friend; someone he can confide in. It saddens me to hear you say that practically no one in your village has stepped up and taken the chance to get to know him."

The Hokage coughed into his fist once to compose himself, realizing quickly what she was implying. "I'm sure that there are those who treat Naruto kindly. I was merely pointing out how odd it was for someone to refer to themselves as his friend after only a couple of days."

"Do you believe that relationships, both friendly or otherwise, need to follow a certain timetable to matter? I've met people and befriended them on the same day before; just as I have with Naruto-kun."

Her eyes may have looked closed, but the elderly man felt as if her gaze was piercing him.

"You seem overly concerned about people who try to befriend him. May I ask why?"

"I fail to see how that would concern you."

"It concerns _him_ , and that's enough to concern me. As his friend, and as someone who cares about him, I find it disturbing how the leader of a village has their personal guard summon a boy after being seen with a new friend just the other day. It shows an unhealthy need for _control_ over his life."

Naruto caught the message Lucoa was sending, and he turned back to the Hokage.

"Why didn't you have me talk to you after I met Pops and Ayame-nee-chan? They're my friends too."

 _'Because they were people that I nudged you toward,'_ he mentally answered, keeping such thoughts to himself.

As the Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi felt that he had a responsibility. He loved his village and wanted to protect it as best he could. If this meant that he had to be the deciding _influence_ on who the Jinchūriki interacted with, then he would do so.

For that was the Hokage's duty.

"I'm not speaking with you over something like why you have a new friend, Naruto. I'm merely concerned about a stranger in my village and why she seems so close to you so quickly," he defended.

"Strangers come to the village every day, Old Man," Naruto argued. "They talk to all sorts of people, and some of them even stay for weeks; even months! Why are you so suspicious of Lucoa-chan, then? Is it because she's _my_ friend? Because she talks to _me_? Is that it?"

He was losing ground, and he knew it. The boy was already upset with him for keeping the identities of his parents silent, which meant that he had little reason to trust his judgment. He needed to salvage this somehow.

"That's not it at all, Naruto. Please calm down," he tried to assure the angry boy.

"Then tell me why you called us here? Why are you getting so worried that Lucoa-chan is my friend?" the Uzumaki pressed, glaring at the man now.

The Hokage frowned. "I am trying to find out how this woman got into the village without checking in. None of the gate guards from any of the gates remember seeing her come through and sign in; and someone like her would be easy to remember."

"Maybe she was with a group that checked in together? It's happened before," Naruto argued, defending his friend.

"Then what group would that be?" Sarutobi asked, directing the question to Lucoa.

"I wasn't with a group," she answered, giving Naruto a sidelong glance to stop him from speaking up.

As much as she appreciated how quickly he wanted to stand up for her, she decided that it was time to lay some of her cards on the table.

"I entered this village through my own power, and it was thanks to Naruto-kun unknowingly making a gateway for me to access. You wish to know my intentions, who I am, and why I'm so close to Naruto-kun? Fine, I'll speak truthfully."

Naruto looked worried now, fearing that something will happen to his friend and he'd be left alone again.

"My name is Quetzalcoatl, but I prefer Lucoa. My intentions were to stop a confused and lonely child from making a dangerous decision. I am what you would call an Ex-Goddess but am actually a Dragon. And as for why I'm so close to Naruto-kun?"

Hiruzen was staring at her hard, frowning at her ridiculous titles for herself. That frown deepened when he saw her look down at Naruto with obvious affection, leaning down and over the chair he was sitting on to hug the Uzumaki boy.

"I'm close to him because I'm his friend, as he is mine. I'm _his_ Lucoa-chan, and he's _my_ Naru-baby."

That bold declaration was the kicker.

"I cannot accept that and must ask you to leave my village immediately. I cannot have some deluded woman be so close to any of my villagers; especially one as young as Naruto."

"Deluded, am I?" she repeated, chuckling knowingly without losing her grip on Naruto. "That's cute coming from a human past his prime."

She barely opened her black eye, and Hiruzen felt his heart skip a beat while his spine went rigid. The power behind that eye was unreal, and she didn't even flex her chakra or whatever power she believed she had.

What set him further on edge was how her eye shifted to four different spots in the room; the same spots where all four of his hidden ANBU were located. She was dangerous.

"But you don't seem the type for _cute_ things," she continued. "I'm not leaving, Old Man. As long as my Naru-baby wants me here," her eye closed again, and she looked far too innocent, "then I'm staying."

Finally letting go of the blonde Uzumaki, she waited for him to get out of his seat before following him out of the office. Nobody remaining said a word until they heard the sound of the door clicking closed.

"I want her on watch at all times," the Hokage ordered with a deep frown. "Cat, I'm assigning you this task since Naruto is familiar with you."

"Yes, sir," Cat replied, though she felt unsure of what may happen.

What she _was_ sure of was that Lucoa's accusation of _control_ looked to be spot-on. And she wasn't sure how to feel about a lonely boy being placed under the village's thumb.

* * *

 _Episode 5:_

 _First Lessons_

* * *

Later that day, Naruto was seen sitting across from Lucoa at the park. The children that were once there had already been taken home by their parents upon their arrival. They didn't like the idea of their kids associating with the _demon_ or a woman in such inappropriate clothing.

"So, you ready for your first lesson in learning magic, Naru-baby?" Lucoa asked with a smile.

He nodded once, an eager grin on his face. "You bet! What do I need to do first?"

"The first thing we need to do is make channels for magical energy to flow. We know that chakra naturally flows through the people of this world, but magic could interfere with that."

"So…how do we get around that?"

"The best way would be brands marked on your skin that you can focus magical energy through. I'd need to mark your arms, which magic will be sent from, and your forehead, where you'll focus."

"Brands…" he repeated. "Will they hurt?"

"Possibly. I've seen Humans in other worlds use similar methods to gain magic. Sometimes they're a painful process, and other times they're painless. You can still back out if you're worried about that."

The Uzumaki shook his head, his blue eyes showing raw determination. "I'm not gonna back down from this. You can teach me magic, and I wanna learn that from you." He smiled warmly at her. "I wanna learn everything I can from you, Lucoa-chan."

She giggled at him, fighting the urge to glomp the boy. "Alright then. Pull back your sleeves and stretch out your arms."

He complied immediately, pushing back the sleeves of his shirt as much as he could before stretching his arms toward her. She grabbed his left one, one hand gently gripping his wrist while the other slid up and down his arm with her palm glowing bright white.

"I can feel your chakra flow through your arm, so I need to make new pathways for magical energy. This is where it will hurt, and the brandings will be more like scars than runes. Are you ready?"

He nodded and braced himself for any kind of pain, wincing as soon as he felt her power penetrate his body and initiate the changes. It was like his arm was being poked relentlessly with pins and needles while stretching and contracting, which only deepened that prickling feeling to a near neural level.

Lucoa was focusing on her task, but she knew that this was hurting her little Fishcake. It saddened her that, as his friend, she had to hurt him to give him her gift; but he wanted this, and she did as well.

"It's almost over, Naruto-kun," she assured softly. "Then we can take a break before moving to your other arm. Okay?"

He hissed at the pain but nodded. "O-Okay…"

A couple more minutes later, and Lucoa let go of Naruto as soon as she saw the brandings form on his arm. To her delight, they had taken the appearance of draconian scales that started from just past the elbow and stopped just shy of his fingernails. They truly did look more like scars, though; being a darker shade that his natural skin tone.

Her earlier delight dropped when she saw him cradling his arm tenderly, and she reached out to pulled him into her lap and hold him close.

"I'm sorry, Naruto-kun…" she whispered, using her magic to try and soothe the pain in his arm. "I don't like that this hurts you…"

He managed to hug her back as the stabbing feelings in his arm dulled down. "I know… But I wanted this, and I can't back down now." He pulled back to look at her face, showing his willingness to continue. "Not when we're already halfway there."

She smiled and brushed back his bangs tenderly. "That's my Naru-baby…"

"I'm not a baby, ttebayo…" he grumbled with a pout, earning a giggle from her before he felt her lips gently touch his forehead, making him blush.

"I know. No baby could take on what you have and still stand up." Her smile gained a hint of pride as she added, "You may become a Dragon yet, Naruto-kun…"

Despite his blush, he grinned brightly at that, liking the idea. "Then let's keep going!"

"Right!" she agreed before she moved onto his other arm.

* * *

Lucoa was leaning back against a tree with Naruto's head in her lap. Her hand gently brushed through his hair as he rested from the final branding for his magic pathways; the brands taking the style of a Dragon's eye on his forehead that were hidden by his blonde bangs.

The last part of the process took a lot out of her Fishcake, and he was resting from the near migraine level headache that he had suffered from the branding. As he rested, she used her magic to soothe his pain and help him sleep easier, enjoying the moment of silence with him.

She didn't even twitch when an ANBU with a Cat mask landed a few feet from them, their hidden face looking at the resting Uzumaki.

"What happened?" the ANBU questioned.

"Nothing to worry about," Lucoa waved off. "Just helping my Naru-baby grow stronger is all. When he wakes up, we'll start his lessons on concentration."

"Concentration for what, exactly?" Cat pressed.

"I'm a Dragon, ANBU-san. We don't use chakra like you ninja. We use magic, and since Naruto-kun doesn't have a means for magic, I had to create a method for him; which should be noticeable by you."

Cat absently noted the markings on Naruto's arms, finding it ironic that they would make him visually associated with Dragons. "Why do this for him?" she asked, losing her earlier edge for a more curious tone.

"Naruto-kun wasn't learning much at his Academy, and what he was learning was taught to him poorly. Just the other day, I helped him find a better balance from throwing those knives of his."

"They're called kunai," Cat supplied, earning a thankful nod from the Ex-Goddess. "I'm surprised that Uzumaki-san didn't go to the Hokage about this; let alone one of the higherups of the Academy."

"Is it really so surprising, considering how others look at him or mistreat him?" Lucoa challenged.

"I suppose not," Cat relented. "What will learning magic do for him versus his chakra studies?"

"I can't give you a solid answer right away, considering how little I know about chakra. From what I've read with Naruto-kun, I know it's a balance of physical and spiritual energies; but nothing else."

"And magic?"

"Magic is malleable, and it leans a bit more towards spiritual energy; though it could take on multiple physical forms. For example, magic can conjure storms by manipulating the weather around the caster. I have mastered a variety of magics, and I plan to help Naruto-kun understand and master them in the future."

Cat nodded in understanding. "Lord Hokage won't like this when I report it to him. He would see it as if you were pulling Naruto away from the ninja path."

"Naruto-kun has already confessed to me his concerns about the ninja system. He's trying to make a decision on what he wants to do in the future, which is sad."

"How so?" Cat questioned.

"Humans that are around Naruto-kun's age shouldn't be so concerned about their future. They should be enjoying the current point of their life, making friends and forming bonds with others." She looked at Naruto's resting form with a sad smile. "But Naruto-kun hasn't been able to make many bonds with others, save for those ramen chefs. I'll never devalue the impact they alone have made in his life, simply because they treat him like a regular person. It does wonders for someone so cursed with loneliness."

The ANBU noted that the Dragon's words and actions were truly sincere, and that her care for the blonde Uzumaki wasn't anything to scoff at. _'And to think, she admitted that she's only known the boy for a couple of days. Yet, the connection between them could rival that of people who knew one another for years.'_

"Was that all, Cat-san?" Lucoa asked politely. "I was planning on waking Naruto-kun to start his lessons."

"No, that was it. Thank you for speaking with me honestly," the ANBU replied.

"My pleasure. It's nice to see someone else worried for my Naru-baby."

 _'I guess the stories about a Dragon's possessiveness were true,'_ Cat mused with an internal chuckle, honestly grateful that someone was actively helping the poor kid.

The son of two of the village's greatest ninja more than deserved it.

* * *

"In," Lucoa started, taking an inhale through her nose, "and out," she finished, exhaling through her mouth.

Naruto followed her instructions, taking in a deep inhale of air and holding it for a second before exhaling it slowly. This was the first lesson Lucoa was teaching him in regard to concentrating his magic. She informed him that steady breathing helped keep the caster calm, which was a must for better control.

If someone tried using magic while high on anxiety or any other kind of emotion, they could lose their grip over it and the magic could go haywire. She warned him that many mages lost their lives due to their own magic backfiring on them. And depending on the magic used, it could be an ugly way to go.

"Good," she declared softly, not speaking too loudly so he could focus. "Steady breaths, Naruto-kun. Don't breathe too quickly, but don't draw out the breath for too long. Keep your pace and relax, drown out everything but the feeling of the magical energies flowing through you."

His eyes were closed as he kept up his breathing exercises, and he nodded once at her words. "What does it feel like?" he asked just as softly as she did.

"Magical energy is full of life, Naruto-kun; like chakra. However, while your chakra is linked to you, magic is linked to what's _around_ you. You'll know it's there when you feel a pull from your surroundings; a pull that you shouldn't fight. Instead, listen closely and let the pull take you so that it can show you its power."

He took another breath, concentrating past his chakra and trying to feel the world around him. He felt the grass beneath him, the gentle breeze of early autumn, and the warmth of the sun. Slowly, those feelings grew stronger; more enhanced as he focused.

Unknown to him, the Dragon's Eye on his forehead started to give off a golden-orange glow, and Lucoa smiled proudly at the sight.

"Good, Naruto-kun. Keep it up and hold your palms up over your lap," she instructed.

Listening to her through his concentration, Naruto pulled his fists away from one another and laid his hands atop his lap with the palms upward. Lucoa then grabbed a handful of the earth beneath them and let it spill onto his palms. His brows twitched at the unexpected feeling, but he kept his breathing.

"Now, I want you to focus the energy you're feeling into your hands, Naruto-kun," Lucoa stated. "Let it flow through you and into what's in your hands."

Beads of sweat started to form on his brow as he tried willing the energy from his forehead to his arms. Like liquid gold flowing downward, the scale brandings on his arms slowly started to gain the same golden-orange glow. From his elbows down to his fingers, the outlines of the scales were filled with the golden glow before the earth in his hands became surrounded in a bubble of magic.

"Excellent!" Lucoa cheered, taking care not to be too loud. He was still concentrating after all. "Keep going, Naruto-kun!"

The earth in his hands drank in the rich energy of the boy's magic, and the top of the dirt started to gain a green shade before a thin layer of moss formed. The moss spread across the dirt and turned a rich green, showing the abundance of health and vitality flowing through it.

"Okay, Naruto-kun. Now, slowly let go of your hold on the magic and let it return to the world around you."

Starting from the Dragon's Eye, the golden-orange coloration of Naruto's magic faded away and moved through his "scales" before the energy dispersed. Once it left him, Naruto's eyes shot open and his breathing became increasingly heavier before he was panting and sweating; as if he had been working for hours without rest.

Through his heavier breaths, he looked to the mossy earth in his hands with surprise. "Did… Did I…do that…?" he asked through his pants.

He looked to Lucoa and saw the pride in her face as she smiled at him. "Yes, you did, Naruto-kun." Gently, she cupped his hands with her own, easing them down to the ground so that he could set the moss on the grass. Letting them go, she looked back at him and finished, "You did marvelously."

Pride swelled through him, and he started chuckling through his breaths before they erupted into a proud laughter. "I did it!" he exclaimed, still laughing as he fell back and laid atop the ground beneath him, staring up at the sky with his unbreakable grin.

Lucoa laid beside him and looked up at the sky with her beloved Fishcake. "This is only the beginning, Naruto-kun. I promise to show you everything I can about magic; everything that you can do with it."

The two turned their heads away from the sky to look at one another, sharing a smile between them. "Looking forward to it, Lucoa-chan," Naruto replied, his tone both grateful and excited for her future lessons.

For the first time in a long time, Naruto felt like he could do anything. And that feeling put him on top of the world with his precious person.

* * *

 _Episode 6:_

 _Road Trip_

* * *

Naruto sighed in relief when he walked out of the Academy, having been informed by the instructor that the class would have a week off from school. The reason for the break was because of the approaching festival that celebrated the defeat of the Kyuubi.

The downside was that the festival also fell on his birthday, October tenth. Whenever the festival rolled around, the cruel looks and insults thrown Naruto's way would get worse. He didn't know why simply sharing a birthday with the day the Kyuubi attacked made him so hated, but he had a guess.

It was probably because they thought his birth "summoned" the fox to attack the village. It was probably why they also called him _demon_ all the time.

He shook off those thoughts when he saw Lucoa waving at him near the single swing attached to a tree outside the Academy. A smile formed on his face as he approached her, and the two started for home together while ignoring the looks from parents.

"How was it today, Naruto-kun?" she asked as they walked.

"It was fine, I guess. They reviewed the Transformation Jutsu today," he replied.

"You're already pretty good at that one, right?"

"I've practiced that one the most. I'm still waiting on them to start teaching us the Replacement Jutsu."

"The one that makes you switch places with something," Lucoa recalled. "Well, maybe we can visit the Ninja Library and look for a copy of it later."

"Sure," he agreed with a smile.

"What else happened today?"

"We were given the next week off since the Kyuubi Festival is happening around that time. It's to celebrate the defeat of the fox."

Noting his tone, she asked, "You don't like the festival, huh?"

"…No," he admitted, looking down at the street as they walked. "It's on the same day as my birthday, and everybody usually gives me dirty looks or call me _demon_ more than other days."

"Your birthday?" she repeated, surprised at the new info. "I can't believe I never asked when your birthday was."

"It's okay," the Uzumaki assured her, stepping in front of her and stopping their trek. "I don't really celebrate my birthday, anyway. I just get some ramen for free from Ichiraku's and then stay home."

She frowned at that. "That won't do. Everyone deserves to celebrate their birthday." Humming thoughtfully, an idea came to her that made her smile. "What do you say on taking a little trip during this next week?"

"A trip to where?" he asked with a slight tilt of his head that made her gush mentally.

"You remember how I mentioned someone named Kobayashi?" At his nod, she continued, "Well, she lives in a place called Koshigaya in a country called Japan. From what I've seen, your village looks sort of like a mix between traditional and modern Japanese buildings."

"And you want to visit her?" he guessed.

"It'd be a great way to get you away from everything during the festival," she explained. "Plus, a few other Dragons I know are staying in Koshigaya. I'd like for you to meet them and for them to meet you."

A thoughtful look crossed his face. "Is it safe?"

"Safer with me than any other method a ninja would attempt," she assured him with a smile.

He returned it with one of his own and nodded. "Sounds like fun. When would we leave?"

Someone clearing their throat caught their attention, and they looked up to see Cat positioned behind the foliage of a tree. "A word please, Lucoa-san?" she requested, though both blondes knew it was anything but.

Seeing as they were almost at Naruto's apartment, the three of them headed for the building and stepped inside. Naruto put away his school things and politely got a glass of water for the ANBU, who accepted it with a thankful nod.

"Now, what's this I here about a trip to…Japan, was it?" Cat questioned.

"Lucoa-chan is inviting me to meet some of her friends, and I want to go," Naruto explained. "The Academy is out for a week and I never like going to the Kyuubi Festival."

Cat nearly frowned at that, knowing his reasons for disliking the festival.

"Besides, it's not like anyone would be upset that I left for a few days; especially around this time," he added.

That made the ANBU almost cringe, not liking how dejected the boy sounded. And, as expected, Lucoa was immediately there with a supportive hand on his shoulder. It still amazed the purple-haired operative how close the two were, considering how it had only been a week since the boy's first _magic lesson_.

"Uzumaki-san, you know that the Hokage will be completely against this _trip_ of yours. He still doesn't trust, let alone like, Lucoa-san's presence in the village; especially around you."

"Why am I so special?" Naruto questioned with a frown. "I'm just a random orphan that everyone seems to hate. Why is the Old Man always stepping in whenever I'm involved?"

"…I cannot answer that, Uzumaki-san. It isn't my place," Cat responded. In truth, she wanted to tell him since hiding it from him would only cause more pain in the long-run; but she had her orders.

Not to mention speaking about the boy's _condition_ warranted immediate death.

"Figures…" he groused, looking notably put-off. "Anything involving me is always some stupid secret or that it's _no use_ asking."

Lucoa frowned at that while Cat internally sighed at another of the Hokage's decisions destined to bite the village in the metaphorical ass.

"Look," the Ex-Goddess began, "it doesn't matter what that Old Monkey likes or doesn't like. I'm taking Naruto-kun with me on this trip. It'd do him good to get away from this place for a while." Annoyance was seen on her face. "It's suffocating here…"

The initial impulse to defend her home's honor was halted by the grim truth in the Dragon's words. She had been watching the duo long enough to see that, despite Lucoa's presence, Naruto's natural brightness is slowly being snuffed out by his mistreatment from the villagers.

A sigh escaped her. "I will speak to the Hokage about this and suggest that I accompany you both on this trip," she offered. "This way I can keep an eye on you both and report my own findings on this _Japan_."

Lucoa looked to Naruto and asked, "What do you think, Naruto-kun?"

He frowned at Cat, not liking the idea of a trip with Lucoa being possibly ruined by someone who works for the Old Man. After a moment, he sighed and nodded.

"Fine… I doubt the Old Man would let us go otherwise…"

"I'd find a way, Naru-baby," Lucoa argued conspiratorially, a knowing smile on her face.

He smiled back before he turned to Cat. "Go ahead and tell the Old Man. Either way, I'm going to get ready for the trip."

Knowing that was the best she was going to get, the ANBU left the apartment in a blur to inform the Hokage about the trip. During her absence, both blondes packed for the trip to Japan.

* * *

"You two ready?" Lucoa asked as the three of them stood atop Naruto's apartment roof.

Naruto nodded in excitement while Yugao Uzuki, also known as ANBU Cat, gave a simple one. She was relieved that the Hokage had agreed to her proposal for the trip, and she planned to make sure that things went smoothly during their absence from the Hidden Leaf.

Her winning argument? "They're going to leave either way, sir. This way I can make sure that they come back."

That was all the man needed to hear to agree to the compromise. The village couldn't afford to lose their Jinchūriki, who was the son of their most recent hero and a practical princess of a dead nation.

So, he approved of their trip and had Yugao go with them. Seeing as going as an ANBU could cause issues, he had her go as a standard Jonin and introduce herself as Naruto's guardian; something Naruto wasn't a fan of.

Lucoa gave Naruto a smile as she flexed her magic and created a rune circle beneath the three of them. Yugao couldn't wrap her mind around the meanings of the runes, and they faded in a brilliant flash before she could fully take it in.

Surrounded by a sphere of transparent light, Lucoa guided them through a void of color that had various worlds passing by in what Naruto thought looked like snow globes. They passed by too quickly to get a solid glimpse, but the trip itself was exciting to him.

He had never seen so many colors together in such harmony before, and neither had Yugao. To him, it was exciting and _cool_. To her, it was beautiful and humbling.

When they finally reached the world Lucoa was searching for, they were reshaped into a small spark of bright light that flew into the world. To the inhabitants of said world, if they had been looking up at the sky, they would see a rune circle forming in midair before that same spark of light floated out of it before reforming into three people surrounded by a sphere of light.

"Tada~!" Lucoa exclaimed for her two passengers. "Welcome to Koshigaya!"

"Whoa…!" Naruto gasped out, looking at the large city below them. "It's huge!"

"It _is_ quite large," Yugao agreed, also left slightly awed at the sight. Seeing the large buildings that could easily dwarf the Hokage Mountain in height showed her just how behind the Hidden Leaf was in terms of architectural design. "You said that we would be meeting a Human named Kobayashi-san, correct?"

"Yes," Lucoa answered. "She lives in an apartment with an old friend of mine named Tohru. A younger Dragon named Kanna also lives with them, and two other Dragons, named Elma and Fafnir, are also in this town. Though, I don't know where they're staying at exactly."

"I see…" Yugao replied, slightly put off how _four_ Dragons were casually living in a village filled with Humans.

At least Lucoa was staying in a place where the inhabitants could try to put up a fighting chance.

"So, where will we stay while we're here, Lucoa-chan?" Naruto asked curiously.

"Hmm… Didn't think of that. I'm sure I could find us a place for the week. For now, let's go and see Kobayashi-san," she decided, lowering the light sphere down in the middle of a large park.

Thankfully, no Humans were around to see their arrival. However, Lucoa wasn't foolish enough to think that the other Dragons were unaware of her return to the city.

"If I remember right, Kobayashi-san's home is this way," the Ex-Goddess mused as she took the lead and started heading for the city.

Naruto was looking at everything around him in excited wonder, smiling at people they passed and receiving smiles in return. That alone made this place exponentially better than the Hidden Leaf. The tall buildings were incredible from the air, but they looked immeasurable on the ground level. The cars driving on the streets were also strange, but they were interesting to see. And the ride on the subway went by so quick that he wondered why ninja didn't make one of them back home.

Yugao was studying everything they passed, mentally noting the technological advancements for her eventual report to the Hokage. Absently, she noted the never-ending expression of excitement and glee on her charge's face, and she couldn't find herself to stop the small smile that formed on her face. She may be an ANBU back home, but she still liked to take time to keep an eye on the Uzumaki boy before he met Lucoa. So, she felt partially invested in his well-being.

' _Maybe this trip will be better for him than I initially thought,'_ she mused, silently following after him as he walked beside Lucoa. She observed how closely he was walking next to the Dragon, and how comfortable he was around her. Those feelings were obviously reciprocated, because when he shyly reached out for her hand, she took his without a moment's thought and gave him a beautiful smile that he blushed at.

She chuckled at the scene, finding it cute at the obvious crush the blonde Uzumaki was starting to have for the Ex-Goddess. Part of her knew that it was wrong and that she should stop it, but that side of her was stopped by the ever-growing part of Yugao that wanted to help Naruto.

Besides, it's not like him having a crush on a Dragon would signal the apocalypse.

"Here it is!" Lucoa declared, breaking the ANBU woman from her thoughts so that she could see the brick apartment building that was home to Kobayashi. "C'mon, now! Up we go~!"

Climbing up to the fourth story, Lucoa led the two Humans to one of the apartment doors before knocking. She then stepped back to stand beside Naruto, grabbing his hand once again as they waited for someone to answer.

After a moment the door opened, and they saw a young woman dressed in a maid uniform greet them. She had light orange hair that bled into reddish-orange tips, and her eyes were the same coloration; orange with a more reddish edge. To finish off her appearance, she had a pair of horns poking upward from the sides of her head, just behind the headpiece of her uniform.

"Lucoa?" she asked in slight surprise.

"Hey, Tohru! Mind if we come in?" the Ex-Goddess requested. "You won't believe what's happened these past few weeks."

Tohru looked to the two Humans standing beside her old friend, pausing for a moment to look at the joined hands of the small male and Lucoa's before she looked back up at the stronger Dragon.

"Uh, sure. Let me just let Kobayashi-san know that you're here," she replied, walking back in and leaving the door open for them to enter.

In just a moment, a Fishcake would meet a woman with Fish Eyes.

* * *

 **PHEW!**

 **Man, did that take longer than necessary… I blame my reignited love for the** _ **Tales of Vesperia**_ **game. Good God did that take over my life for a couple of weeks!**

 **Anyway, I hope you all liked Episodes 4-6! Episode 7 will have Naruto finally meet Kobayashi-san and the other notable characters of the** _ **Dragon Maid**_ **series.**

 **As for why Yugao is with them? You'll have to keep reading to see. Just know that I plan to have her struggle with herself, and hopefully expand on her character.**

 **Also, fair warning:** _ **Kingdom Hearts 3**_ **just came out. And like** _ **Vesperia**_ **, this game will suck the life out of me until I've had my fill.**

 **You've been warned for those of you expecting a quick update for any of my stories.**

 **Until next time!**

 _ **~pain17ification~**_


	3. Episodes 7-9

**Dragon Up!**

 **Wait… Wrong series *sheepish chuckle***

 **Anyway, here's the update!**

 **Disclaimer in first chapter.**

* * *

 _A Fishcake and his Dragon_

 _Episode 7:_

 _Revelations_

* * *

Kobayashi stared at the three extra sets of footwear that had invaded her entryway, recognizing the pink shoes of a certain busty ( _'Understatement,'_ she thought blandly) Dragon. However, the matching – though different sized – sandals left her at a loss.

 _'PLEASE don't let it be more Dragons,'_ she mentally begged, tempted to pray for it to be true as she took off her own shoes and announced, "I'm home!"

"Welcome back!" she heard Tohru call back from the kitchen.

 _'Dinner smells good,'_ she mused with a small smile as she hung her coat by the door and finally walked into the living room of her apartment. _'Let's see here… A woman with very dark purple hair is sitting on my couch with Kanna while she watches TV, and Lucoa is seated at the table with some blonde whisker-faced kid in her lap.'_

"Hey, Kobayashi!" Lucoa greeted with a friendly wave, her other arm holding the kid in her lap. "Hope you don't mind the sudden visit, but I just wanted to show off my adorable little Fishcake to you~!"

"Lucoa-chan…" the kid whined with an embarrassed blush.

 _'Fishcake…?'_ she mentally repeated while giving the woman a raised brow. "That's not his real name…is it?"

"No, my name is Naruto Uzumaki. It's uh…" he paused to tap Lucoa's arm, making her let go of him so he could drop down and give her a polite bow. "It's nice to meet you, Kobayashi-san."

Kobayashi couldn't fight the small smile at his nervous politeness. It was cute.

Returning the bow, she replied, "Nice to meet you too, Naruto." Turning to the other woman, she asked, "And you are…?"

"Yugao Uzuki," the woman answered. "I'm what you would call a chaperone for this little trip."

"Chaperone?"

"We're not from your world," Naruto answered with a smile. "We come from a place where Humans have access to an inner energy called chakra, which we use to fight."

"I wound up there when I was taking the pathways between worlds on my way home," Lucoa explained for Kobayashi. "I stopped at their world when I sensed Naruto-kun trying to perform a ritual summoning."

This was the first Yugao had heard about that, as seen by the shock on her face. When she turned her gaze to Naruto, she saw that he wasn't meeting it and was letting Lucoa do the talking.

"What the hell was a little kid doing a ritual summoning for?" Tohru asked, just as surprised as Yugao.

Lucoa looked unsure of how to answer, but Naruto decided to come clean. "I was hoping to summon a demon, because I felt alone in my village."

Yugao winced, understanding dawning on her about his reasons.

"Back home," Naruto continued, looking down, "most people ignore me or glare at me; some of them even calling me a _demon_. For a while, I thought they might've been right…"

Kobayashi slowly took a seat at the table to listen while Tohru set the stove to a lower heat. They both took note of Lucoa looking upset while Yugao looked…ashamed?

"I felt alone in a place full of strangers who hated me. So, after seeing someone summon some dogs," Yugao's brow twitched at that, "I figured that I could do something like that. So, I snuck into the Restricted Section of the Ninja Library," another twitch from Yugao while Kobayashi rose a brow, "and found a section on a place called _Demon Country_. Looking through some of the books and scrolls, I saw three different methods for summoning demons, so I took them with me back to my apartment."

"It was when he was trying them all in a single summoning that I intercepted the gateway and arrived in his apartment," Lucoa picked off. "After telling him that he _wasn't_ a demon, he asked me to stay with him and I agreed. I've been living in his apartment ever since."

The two women were stunned at the story, giving Naruto a look and seeing that he was grasping Lucoa's hand while still looking to the floor. It was almost like he was guilty for his actions and holding onto the one good thing that came out of them.

"There's something I don't understand," Kobayashi began. "Why would your village label you as a _demon_ when you're obviously not one?"

"That's something we haven't figured out yet, unfortunately," Lucoa answered with a frown. "It's obvious that a lot of people know, but nobody will say anything."

"Because it's forbidden," Yugao revealed, sitting with her arms crossed and eyes closed. "The Hokage, our village's leader, placed a law that punished anyone who spoke the truth with death."

"What?!" Kobayashi cried out in shock, flabbergasted at the punishment for telling the truth.

"You know, don't you?" Tohru accused, narrowing her eyes at Yugao.

"…I do," the ANBU admitted, "but I cannot break the law of our village. There are people I care about that I don't want to upset with my death."

"Who will know?" Lucoa challenged with a raised brow. "It's just the three of us here in this world. It's not like that Old Monkey will know the very moment you say it."

"…I can't. As much as I feel he deserves to know, I can't…"

Multiple frowns were aimed at her for that, but they stopped when Naruto let go of Lucoa's hand and walked to the front door.

"Naruto…?" Lucoa started with a concerned tone.

"I need to take a walk…" he answered softly after putting on his sandals and leaving the apartment.

Yugao was about to follow, but a sudden weight held her in place while making her tremble at the power felt behind it. Shakily, she turned her head to see that Lucoa had her eyes shadowed by her hat while her fingers curled and clenched in her hands.

For the first time in years, the ANBU actually felt fear.

* * *

Hands in his pockets, Naruto walked down the streets of Koshigaya as his thoughts centered around why it was forbidden to tell him the truth. He didn't even know what said truth was, but he felt that he deserved to know since it involved him.

Why was he always kept in the dark about things concerning himself personally? First his parents and now the reason for the village's animosity…

"It's not fair…" he muttered to himself as he arrived back at the park that he had landed in with Lucoa. Taking a seat on a bench, he tried to guess what it was that he was hated for. "It's gotta have something to do with the Kyuubi… My birthday is the same day it attacked…"

When speaking to yourself, you usually don't expect any sort of response. To Naruto's surprise, he got one.

 _ **"** ** _I_ t's not like I had a choice in the matter,"**_ a deep and whispery voice stated defensively.

Naruto blinked in surprise at the voice and looked around to see who had spoken.

 _ **"** **You won't find me in the physical world, kid. I'm linked to you through your chakra."**_

 _'My chakra…?'_ he repeated.

 _ **"** **Correct. Give me a moment…"**_

Naruto was confused about that before he saw the park surrounding him bend and twist, distorting and changing into a dark hallway that was barely lit and had water that went up to his ankles. The confusion slowly changed to worry at this before a small gust of warm air escalated his worry to fear.

Slowly turning around, he was greeted to a massive set of thick barred gates held closed by a sealing tag. Within the gate was a pair of gleaming blood red eyes with black slit pupils that extinguished any light surrounding them.

The eyes closed for a moment and Naruto heard something huge shuffling the water before the owner of the eyes stepped into the light.

"K…Kyuubi…" he gasped out, his blue eyes wide as he took an involuntary step away from the eyes.

 _ **"** **Half of it, anyway,"**_ the Bijuu corrected the boy. _**"When the Fourth sealed me into you, he split me in two halves and took one into himself before he was taken by the Shinigami."**_

"Lord Fourth…sealed you into me?"

 _ **"** **Yes. I've had some time to come to terms with this; especially since you are not the first Uzumaki I've been sealed into."**_

"Wait… You say _Uzumaki_ as if they were a…"

 _ **"** ** _C_ lan?"**_ finished the fox, earning a hesitant nod from the boy. _**"They were both a Clan and a Nation, boy. They once resided in the Land of Whirlpools, and they even had their own Hidden Village. It is because of their bloodline that an Uzumaki body is the only type that can safely hold in my power."**_

"So…you were sealed into me…because nobody else was available?" Naruto guessed.

 _ **"** **You were a last resort. Your mother was an Uzumaki, and she was also my previous host. She offered to take me back into her body so that I would die with her."**_

"She was dying…?"

 _ **"** **Removal of a Bijuu from their Jinchūriki – the proper term for a Human holding a Bijuu – almost always results in the Human dying. This is because our very beings are merged into your chakra, and taking us out is almost like ripping out a large of your chakra from your body. The strain is too much for a normal body to handle. Your mother, being an Uzumaki, was not only able to survive; she was able to help the Fourth in sealing me away again."**_

Naruto looked down at that. "Mom gave up her life for me then, huh?"

 _ **"** **Admittedly, I performed the final blow that killed her,"**_ the Kyuubi confessed. _**"Blinded by my rage about being used and being sealed once more, I tried to stop it by targeting you."**_

Naruto looked back at the Bijuu with a tearful glare.

 _ **"** **However, your mother was already a foot in the grave that night. My actions, and her reaction to them, pushed her the rest of the way in. For what it's worth, I'm sorry that I took away your parents from you. My creator – someone I respect above anyone else alive or dead – would be ashamed of my actions."**_

Wiping his eyes, Naruto kept his glare aimed at the Bijuu. "…The Fourth was my dad, wasn't he?"

 _ **"** **That's a good guess; though, it isn't hard to see the similarities between you both. You may have your mothers face, but your hair and eyes are red flags about who your father was."**_

"I know…dad's name because it's in books and the villagers all respected him. But, what about mom? What was her name?"

 _ **"** **Kushina…"**_

Using one of its tails to poke the water, the Bijuu used its control over the sealscape to have the water rise and take shape before color and form completed the image. Standing in front of Naruto was a perfect replica of Kushina Uzumaki, who was giving him a smile before she grinned in a manner that only he could pull off. And to Naruto, she looked like nothing less than an angel.

"Mom…" he choked out, wanting to rush over and hug the replica; but the knowledge that it wasn't truly her held him back.

The Kyuubi let the image sink back and return to water. _**"I'm sorry, boy… I can understand if you hate me. I've lived with hatred for years, and I know what can cause it as well as what it can do."**_

"As much as I want to," the blonde child began, "I can't… You've told me what I've wanted to know for long; what was hidden from me by the village and the Old Man. My parents… They…"

He looked back to the Bijuu, smiling through his tears.

"They really loved me… They didn't abandon me, think I was some sort of demon, or hate me. They gave up their lives to protect me. While I wish they could be here with me, I'm still proud to be their son."

The Kyuubi stared at the boy before it, expecting him to have shouted or screamed out his rage to the beast. Instead, the Uzumaki had simply said that he was happy to know the truth; not an ounce of anger in him from what the fox could sense.

 _ **"…** **Kurama."**_

"Huh?"

 _ **"** **That's my name; Kurama. I don't share it with most people; mainly the other Bijuu and my creator. I'm telling you this because I don't want there to be any animosity between us."**_

Naruto stared as he saw a massively furry fist slowly move toward his form before stopping a couple feet in front of him. He gazed at it before looking down at his right hand. Slowly clenching it into a fist himself, he raised it up and bumped it against that of the Bijuu.

A spark was felt within him, catching him surprise for a moment before he grinned and gave out a happy chuckle that was shared with Kurama.

"Here's to a fresh start, Kurama…"

 _ **"** ** _T_ o a fresh a start…"**_

* * *

When Naruto knocked on the door to Kobayashi's apartment, he expected her or Tohru to open it. To his surprise, Lucoa practically ripped the door open before she engulfed him in a hug. Feeling the warmth that he had come to love, he returned the hug and let her hold him for however long she wanted.

After a couple minutes, she finally let him go and set him back down on his feet. "Are you okay?" she asked.

Nodding with a smile, Naruto replied, "I'm better now."

Lucoa moved aside so that he could leave his sandals at the door before the two of them stepped into the living area of the apartment. Kobayashi was on the couch with Kanna while Tohru and Yugao were at the table.

"Hey," Kobayashi greeted, giving him a smile. "Get everything sorted out?"

"Yeah, I did. I know everything, now," he answered, confusing the women while Yugao's eyes widened.

"Naruto… Did you…?" The ANBU couldn't finish her query, but she saw Naruto nod an affirmative to it. A sigh escaped her as she deduced, "So, it told you everything?"

He nodded again, and Tohru decided to speak up. "What are you two talking about?"

"The Kyuubi," Lucoa stated, earning a surprised look from Yugao while Naruto simply smiled. "I had hoped I was wrong, but that didn't happen. It's sealed into you somehow, isn't it?"

"Hold up," Kobayashi interrupted. "Kyuubi… You mean like a Nine-Tailed Kitsune from Japanese lore?"

"For the most part," Lucoa answered. "Naruto-kun told me that it was a demon that attacked his home village years ago."

"I was half right, though," Naruto admitted, earning everyone's attention. "See, the Kyuubi and the other Bijuu are actually living constructs of chakra. They're energy that have thoughts, feelings, and dreams like Humans and Dragons do. Kyuubi is the strongest of the Nine, having the most tails."

 _ **"** **Thank you for not using my name."**_

 _'Can I tell it to Lucoa later? I trust her.'_

 _ **"** **I want to speak to her first. We'll do that later."**_

Mentally nodding to Kurama, Naruto continued, "I'm currently the third person to hold it; its third Jinchūriki."

" _Power of Human Sacrifice_ …?" Kobayashi repeated. "That's a pretty messed up title to give yourself."

"I didn't come up with the name," Naruto clarified.

"Who held it before you?" Kanna asked, surprising everyone since they didn't think she'd be interested in the conversation.

Smiling, Naruto replied, "My mom held it before me, and an older relative of hers held it before her."

"You know about Lady Kushina?" Yugao asked in shock.

"The Kyuubi told me everything about what happened the night it was sealed into me." He gave her a narrowed look and added, "I know that the Fourth Hokage was my dad, too."

The ANBU woman cringed at his blunt declaration, knowing that such knowledge was on a need-to-know basis. In her opinion, no one else in this room fit that category.

"You're the son of a village leader?" Tohru asked, looking slightly impressed. "Why are you treated so poorly, then?"

"Because no one else was told," Kobayashi deduced. "They were told that Naruto was chosen to hold the Kyuubi, but nobody was told who his father was. So, all people see when they look at Naruto is a vessel for the Kyuubi; or, they see him as the Kyuubi itself in a Human disguise."

Naruto nodded sadly in confirmation. "Exactly…"

"Why the hell would that Old Monkey hide that information from you?" Lucoa questioned, sitting at the table with crossed arms and an angry frown. "You, of all people, should've been told who you came from."

"My guess," Kobayashi began, "is that his parents were well known enough to have made some dangerous enemies. It may have been for his safety."

"That's still no reason to deny a lonely child any information on his parents!" the Ex-Goddess argued.

"I'm not saying it is," Kobayashi placated calmly. "I'm only saying that I can understand why the Hokage would make that excuse for not telling him. He thinks he's protecting Naruto, but he's only pushing him away by constantly hiding the truth from him."

"Besides," Naruto added, "it's not like I would've gone shouting it to the village. They don't like me, so it's not like they'd believe me if I tried telling them the truth. Plus, even if they did, I don't want my dad's legacy to be the reason they stop hating me. That would be the easy way out."

Kobayashi and Tohru both smiled at that while Lucoa patted Naruto's head and ruffled his spiky hair. "Dragons don't back down from a challenge, Naruto-kun," Lucoa said proudly. "And you've got the heart of one, for sure."

He grinned at her while Yugao sighed quietly to herself. _'I'm glad that he knows the truth now; but if this gets out to Lord Third, there could be trouble.'_ She watched as Naruto talked more with the others, speaking and smiling naturally and looking truly relaxed and unafraid. _'These people accept Naruto for who he is, ignoring what he carries and the burden he bears. It's almost like he hit the nail on the head with his earlier comment; he really was alone, living in a world of hateful strangers…'_

She noticed that Naruto had said something that got Lucoa gushing, as seen by her picking him up and nuzzling him while leaving the poor boy a blushing mess as the others laughed at his _plight_.

 _'Lady Kushina… Lord Fourth… I'll do whatever I can to protect your son,'_ Yugao mentally promised, a spark briefly seen in her eye for anyone who bothered to look. _'Even if I must go against Lord Third, I'll keep Naruto safe and happy; I promise.'_

* * *

 _Episode 8:_

 _Fishes and Dragons_

* * *

The next morning, Naruto was escorted around town by Tohru while Lucoa, Kobayashi, and Kanna went to go speak with the two other Dragons she said were in the city. Yugao was with him currently, dressed in long-sleeved black shirt and some comfortable pants while still wearing her ninja sandals.

He himself was dressed in an orange short-sleeved hoodie over a simple blue shirt, black shorts, and his ninja sandals. Despite the temperature cooling down from the autumn weather, Naruto wasn't cold. He enjoyed the breeze and how it caught some of the leaves and carried them; almost making them dance in the air.

"So, what does Kobayashi-san do?" Naruto asked, curious about what his fellow Human did as a job.

"She works in this office with a bunch of other Humans working on a computer all day," the Maid Dragon answered.

"What's a computer?"

Tohru saw that he looked completely lost and tried to explain. "It's like…a television, but it has this thing plugged into it that you can type with. There's also this thing called the _Internet_ that a computer can connect to. You can look up all sorts of things with it."

"Technology in this world is far more advanced than our own," Yugao commented in disbelief.

"It was a real culture shock for me too," the Dragon admitted, leading the two through the open market she frequented in the city. "But it's been a really big help in helping me adjust and understand this world."

"So, what are doing at the market, Tohru?" Naruto asked, taking a moment to check out a stand before catching up again.

"I'm buying ingredients for dinner tonight! Kobayashi-san wanted some grilled fish and fried rice, and we were out of fish."

"Can you teach me how to cook fish?" the Uzumaki requested. "Before Lucoa started living with me, I had to learn to cook for myself; but I don't know many recipes."

"I'd be happy to," she replied, stopping at the fish salesman. "First, you're going to want to have some fresh fish of good quality. Sometimes, it will cost more to get quality fish; but it's worth it in the end."

As Tohru went over the "dos and don'ts" of cooking fish, Naruto listened with rapt attention. Yugao saw a bond already starting to form between them, and she felt ashamed of her home village once more. Where the villagers – both civilian and ninja – saw the Kyuubi in Human Form, Dragons and other people from this world saw a bright and eager boy who had the potential to be something great.

She saw as the two laughed at something the salesman said to Tohru, and the woman smiled at the scene. _'At least he's making more friends. He needs more good to balance out the bad…'_

* * *

"I don't see why I'm needed for this," grumbled a man with long black hair and red eyes with slit pupils. This was Fafnir, a Curse Dragon that was an acquaintance to Tohru and Lucoa. After deciding to stay in this world for a while, Tohru helped him find a place to stay.

Well, she tried to at first.

Thankfully Kobayashi's coworker, Makato Takiya, had accepted letting Fafnir stay at his place. It didn't hurt that he had gotten the Dragon into gaming; specifically, online gaming.

Currently, he was expressing his unwillingness to adhere to the request Lucoa had made of him and Takiya as the group sat at a table just outside a local café. Sitting next to him was Elma, another Dragon that was from Harmony Faction.

Elma was dressed in a casual suit with some frameless glasses. She had black hair with purple tips and bright blue eyes that were glistening happily as she drank her sweetened tea she had ordered.

Elma truly loved trying new food; no matter what it was.

Rounding off the group was Kanna's friend and classmate, Riko Saikawa. Saikawa was a girl of 8yrs with brown hair and blue-green eyes. Initially jealous of Kanna on the Dragon girl's first day at school, she admitted that she really wanted to be friends with Kanna after trying to assert her dominance among their classmates.

She also had quite the crush on the loli Dragon.

"C'mon, Fafnir," the busty Dragon pleaded. "Naruto-kun has it rough in his home village, and he's never had a real chance to celebrate his birthday like normal children do. I want to give him that so that he doesn't need to keep associating it with so much negativity."

"I have no interest in Human affairs," he shot down, making her pout.

"Well," Takiya began, "I'd be happy to pitch in. How old is he going to be?"

"Ten. And we don't need to do anything too big; just a get-together with us celebrating the day."

"Where would we have this get-together…?" Kobayashi asked, feeling like she already knew the answer.

"I was hoping we could use your place, Kobayashi-san."

"Of course, you were…" the redheaded woman sighed out. "Well, I don't mind having it at my place."

"Do you want us to get him some presents?" Saikawa asked. She didn't know this Naruto, but it was obvious that one of Kanna's friends cared about him. Besides, it was his birthday!

What's a birthday without presents?

"You don't need to, but I'm sure he'd appreciate it," Lucoa answered the girl with a kind smile. "It's in a couple days, so don't really expect you to get him anything in so little time."

Kobayashi hummed at that, sharing a look with Takiya. The two otaku smiled briefly and nodded, saying nothing as they listened to Lucoa tell them things that Naruto liked.

She just hoped that Tohru wasn't getting into trouble with the kid.

* * *

"Thank you so much, dear boy!" a woman graciously said as Naruto handed her back the purse that he had recovered from a snatcher that tried to run.

"No problem, Miss," Naruto replied bashfully, rubbing the back of his head and blushing at the words of praise and compliments he was receiving from the people of the market. "I just did what anyone else would."

Yugao was massaging the bridge of her nose, astounded how civilians who had never seen ninja in action before could be so accepting of a casual display of speed and power. _'Probably shouldn't mention this in my report…_

Meanwhile Tohru was grinning awkwardly, remembering the time she did the same thing Naruto had done and how the people had been so grateful. _'Probably shouldn't mention this to Kobayashi-san…'_

* * *

 _'Why do I feel like I just jinxed it?'_ Kobayashi blandly thought before she refocused on the others as they planned out the party. After a little while, they all departed and went their own ways.

* * *

It was the early hours of the evening when Yugao – or rather a Shadow Clone of her – walked out of a store with a wrapped bundle in her arms and a smile on her face.

"Just in time," she said to herself before someone's voice made her jump.

"That for Naruto-kun?" Lucoa asked from behind the ANBU woman.

Taking a breath to steady her nerves, while mentally berating herself for being snuck upon, Yugao nodded an affirmative to the question. "Yes, this is for his birthday. I...felt like I should do something for him."

"What'd you get him?" the Dragon asked as she followed the Shadow Clone back to where they were staying.

"I felt as if some formal clothes would be fine, since I doubt Naruto has any. So, I bought him a kimono while having the seamstress place the Uzumaki symbol on the back."

"I see. Well, I'm sure he'll appreciate it."

"Thank you. And thanks for doing this…"

"Doing what?"

"Planning a celebration for Naruto," Yugao clarified. "You've already done so much for him by just being there for him. Not to mention that you've started teaching him that _magic_ you told me about before. And now, you're giving him something he's never truly experienced before; and not just a birthday."

"What am I giving him, Yugao-san?" Lucoa asked, a knowing smile on her face.

"You're giving him hope…"

* * *

 _Episode 9:_

 _A Fishcake's Birthday_

* * *

Soft breathing came from Naruto as he slept on his bed. Laying next to him was Lucoa, resting on her side with her head in her hand as she watched him sleep with a gentle smile. With her free hand, she brushed some stray hair away from his face before resting her palm against his whiskered cheek.

She almost gushed when he instinctively leaned into her touch and smiled in his sleep. Sadly, for her, he started to wake up; but she never lost her smile as he blinked away the rest of his sleep.

Seeing her smiling at him, Naruto smiled back and greeted, "Good morning, Lucoa-chan."

"Happy Birthday, Naru-baby," she replied, making him pause in surprise. "I know you never really celebrated before; but that's back in the village. Today, I have something special planned for you, and I asked the others to help me with it."

"Lucoa…"

She stopped him from saying anything more by gently placing a finger to his lips. "None of that, Naruto-kun. I wanted to do this for you, so just enjoy what will happen. Okay?"

He smiled again and nodded his acceptance. "Okay, Lucoa-chan."

He became a blushing mess when Lucoa brightened up and kissed his cheek. "Good boy. Now, let's have some breakfast before we go out and seize the day."

"R-Right…" he replied, feeling a warmth spreading from where her soft lips graced his cheek with their touch.

* * *

Yugao decided to respect Lucoa's desire to give Naruto a good birthday by limiting her presence. It was no surprise that Naruto wasn't particularly fond of her presence; he practically said as much before they even left the Elemental Nations.

So, she was there as they ate breakfast, wishing him a Happy Birthday before giving them some space under the guise of "scouting the city for her report". While it was true that she was scouting, it was mainly a Shadow Clone doing so while she watched Naruto and Lucoa from the shadows.

A respectful distance she may give, but she still had her orders to keep an eye on Naruto. Plus, she wanted to make sure Lucoa didn't go to far with Naruto; especially since she was being much more affectionate today.

So, she kept back and watched.

* * *

Naruto was all smiles as he and Lucoa left the park, having spent the past couple hours simply walking together and another lesson on magic. Lucoa decided to give Naruto the first steps to a magic known as Perception Blocking.

What that did was "remove" visual presence of the user from others. While the user was invisible to the world, they could still interact with it. What made it potentially useful was that, as Lucoa showed him how it worked, Naruto tried to find her with chakra but couldn't. In his eyes, Perception Blocking could be classified as a genjutsu, and the Academy briefly went over how they worked by messing with his chakra flow.

So, Naruto tried to pulse his chakra to break it; but it didn't work. He could hear her explaining the technique and feel her tussle his hair; but he just couldn't see her. This made him even more excited to learn it, which helped fuel him as he attempted the first steps.

While he wasn't successful, Lucoa told him that he would get it one day with practice. They couldn't continue though, since Lucoa said they needed to get ready for Kobayashi's place.

Returning to where they were staying, Naruto got himself cleaned and ready while Lucoa sat on the couch and watch Yugao arrive in a burst of smoke.

"Thank you for keeping your distance today," the Dragon said.

"I figured he was a little tired of me being around all the time," she replied, sighing despondently. "This attitude he has towards me… I know it's not even close to how he's experienced it from the village; this feeling of dislike or disapproval of your presence. I can't complain about it since I know he's had it worse."

"At least you're starting to understand. It's sad that people can't understand the pain of others unless they themselves experience a similar pain."

"I get it…"

They stopped their talk when Naruto came out of the bedroom dressed in a nice orange shirt and black shorts. "I'm ready to go."

"Great!" Lucoa cheered, getting to her feet happily and making her breasts bounce. She giggled to herself when she saw Naruto blush while Yugao scoffed and looked away. _'Yep. I still got it.'_

* * *

To Naruto's joyful surprise, it was a small party that awaited him at Kobayashi's apartment. A few people he hadn't met yet were there, and he was happy to introduce himself to the two Dragons, Kobayashi's friend, and Kanna's classmate. While Fafnir gave off bad vibes, at least he disliked Humans in general and not just him. And Elma was polite and easy to talk to; even if she was more interested in eating than talking.

Saikawa was pretty expressive, and he got along with her easily since she had this self-confidence that he had when he first started the Academy. He also found it funny how she was obvious about her feelings for Kanna, but the child-like Dragon seemed fine with just being friends for the moment.

Yeah, Naruto felt safe to say that he liked everyone he had met in this world.

Dinner was ramen, to his joy. What made it better was that Tohru was just shy of making it as delicious as Ichiraku did back home. When he told her this, he had a good laugh at her getting comically upset at "being outdone by Humans". Lucoa also found it funny and laughed alongside him, much to Tohru's dismay.

After dinner was cake. Nothing special, just a white cake with chocolate frosting; but Naruto was happier about how they sang for him and how he had a chance to blow out candles. It was something he had seen other kids do when they celebrated birthdays at the Academy.

And now it was his turn.

He pondered what to wish for briefly before looking at everyone gathered in Kobayashi's apartment. As he looked to them, he felt a warmth in his heart that began to grow and smiled when his gaze landed on Lucoa.

Knowing what he wanted, he turned back to the candles and thought, _'I wish Lucoa-chan would stay with me always…'_

He blew with his eyes closed, not wanting to see if he didn't get them all. His fears were extinguished when he felt Lucoa hug him, prompting him to open his eyes and see that all the candles were blown out.

 _ **"** **Nice job, boy. And Happy Birthday."**_

 _'Thanks, Kurama…'_

* * *

Cake had been served and eaten, the leftovers were put away, and the dishes were cleaned. Now, it was time for presents. First was from Kanna and Saikawa; much to his surprise.

"Here you go, Naruto-san! Happy Birthday!" Saikawa said happily.

"Happy Birthday," Kanna added calmly.

Smiling gratefully, Naruto unwrapped the gift and saw that it looked like a binder with plastic sheets in it. "What is this?"

"It's a scrapbook," Saikawa answered. "You save photos in it."

"Save photos from today," Kanna suggested, holding up a disposable camera before surprising him by snapping a photo without warning.

Blinking his eyes after the unexpected flash, Naruto thanked them for the gift before moving on to Tohru's gift. It was revealed to be a cookbook for beginners with plenty of recipes for him to try.

"I figured that you should keep learning since you'll be going back soon. Next time you visit, we'll see just how much you've learned," she suggested.

"Thanks, Tohru! This will be a big help back home!"

Fafnir then tossed Naruto a small device that was revealed to be a handheld gaming system with a game called _Pocket Monsters_. "Don't give that to anyone in your home world. Treat it like a treasure and destroy those who try taking-"

"Thank you!" Lucoa declared as she easily grabbed the game before – in a move that caused Naruto to blush brightly – sliding it down between her breasts and out of sight. "I've seen what games can do, Fafnir. While I'm sure Naruto-kun will love his new gift, I'll definitely be limiting how much he plays it."

Fafnir grunted out his annoyance at being interrupted and called out.

"Now, Naruto-kun," Lucoa continued, "if you want to play, be sure to ask." She then grinned and added, "Or, if you _really_ can't wait, you could always… _reach in_ to grab it."

Steam shot out of his ears and Naruto fell off his chair with a tomato blush and swirling eyes; strangely hearing the sound of a "Knockout" bell in his head.

"Poor kid," Kobayashi couldn't help commenting, despite smiling at how amusing it was to see Naruto's reaction.

"She just had to say something that damn toad would love putting in those books of his," Yugao grumbled before she helped Naruto recompose himself and get back in his seat. "Here, Naruto."

Silently thanking her for both the help and the gift, Naruto opened it up to reveal the kimono Yugao had gotten him. It was mostly black, but it held orange wave patterns and a distinct red swirl on the back.

 _ **"** **That swirl is the symbol of the Uzumaki,"**_ Kurama explained. _**"Your clan was an ally of the Hidden Leaf since they were a splinter of the Senju Clan. When they were wiped out, the Hidden Leaf added their swirl to their uniforms to honor their old ties."**_

 _'Huh… Neat.'_

The last present was from both Kobayashi and Takiya. Inside of the box was an odd looking uniform that Takiya offered to help him put on. They went to one of the other rooms to get him dressed before Takiya stepped out first, hiding Naruto behind him.

"You were right, Kobayashi. He looks good in it," he stated before stepping aside and revealing Naruto in a cute butler suit.

He had nice black shoes, gray slacks with darker gray vertical striping, a white button-down shirt covered by a gray vest, a black coat with longer coattails in the back, an equally black tie, and some white gloves. He stood shyly in the uniform while Kobayashi smiled and nodded to herself.

"Looking good Naruto. Now, I want you to…" She whispered the last part into his ear, making him blush and look at her unsurely. "Trust me," she assured him.

Still nervous, he nodded and moved over to Lucoa. Blushing slightly at her inquisitive gaze, he stood as straight as he could, left arm bent behind his back, and right arm folded across his chest.

Swallowing a lump in his throat, he said as professionally as he could though his nerves, "How may I serve you today, my Lady Lucoa?"

 _*thump! thump!*_

Lucoa had the faintest dusting of pink on her cheeks as she felt her heart throb at his gesture and words. It was so surprising and adorable that she couldn't help feeling hear heart pound in her chest. She couldn't resist!

"Oh~! You are so adorable, Naru-baby~!" she gushed, hugging him to her and nuzzling the top of his head.

In her grasp, Naruto's face erupted into another tomato blush, steam once again shot out of his ears, and his blue eyes were replaced with dazed swirls as he passed out in Lucoa's arms. The feeling of her holding him so affectionately and his growing feelings for her were too much to take at once!

Yugao sighed and gave Kobayashi a dry look. "You know that uniform is more of a gift for her than for him, right?"

"Maybe," the redhead relented. "But, you can't deny he looks good in the uniform."

Yugao took another look at Naruto and couldn't deny the younger woman's words. She said nothing and simply looked away with a faint blush while Kobayashi smiled knowingly.

* * *

Late in the evening, Naruto was seen on the roof of where he was staying. Before he, Lucoa, and Yugao left Kobayashi's, they partook in some pictures to put in Naruto's new scrap book. His favorite so far was one of him sitting in a chair with his brands glowing with magic while Lucoa hugged him affectionately from behind.

He was watching the moon and reflecting on how much he had enjoyed his first real birthday celebration when he felt a familiar warmth hugging him again from behind. He smiled at the embrace, wrapping his arms around Lucoa's as he relaxed in her hold.

"Thank you, Lucoa-chan," he stated with the utmost sincerity. "I'll never forget this day and what you did."

"Of course, Naruto-kun. I've said many times that I'll do whatever I can for you. This was just another thing I could do."

He hummed in grateful agreement as the two blondes watched the moon together.

"I never gave you _my_ gift to you," she spoke softly after a little while.

"You've done more than enough for me, Lucoa-chan," he replied, trying to stop her from feeling like she was obligated to getting him something.

"This is something I wanted to share with you, Naruto-kun," Lucoa clarified as she let him go and enshrouded herself in rose colored energy.

When the flash of powerful light cleared, Naruto was left in awed silence as he saw Lucoa's humungous Dragon form. She was a long and serpent-like amphithere Dragon with broad feathered wings and a mask-like skull. She let him look at her for a few moments before she and him were enshrouded in her Perception Blocking power.

 _"Wanna go for a ride?"_ she suggested, her voice echoing in her true form.

He just mumbled dazedly, still trying to reboot his mind as he stared at her form. It got to the point where she wriggled in embarrassment and gushed at his stunned expression.

 _"Mou~! You're making me blush, Naruto-kun~!"_ she whined with a giggle, succeeding in breaking Naruto out of his daze.

"Wow, Lucoa-chan! You look amazing!" he praised with bright eyes and a grin that stretched his whiskered cheeks.

 _ **"** ** _I_ mpressive size, and her power is even more impressive,"**_ Kurama stated, his tone respectful to her revealed form and power. _**"I think she'd give me a run for my money if I was at full strength."**_

 _"Aww! Thank you, Naru-baby! Now, why don't we go for that ride? I want to show you everything I can about this world."_

"Sounds great!" Naruto agreed excitedly, jumping from the roof to her masked head. To an outsider looking in, they wouldn't see Naruto's form unless they were close enough for Lucoa's masked head to encompass everything in front of them. Anything less would have him look like nothing more than a speck on her face. "Let's go, Lucoa-chan!"

 _"Aye, aye~!"_ she replied in equal enthusiasm, moving across the air and away from Koshigaya.

It wouldn't be until hours later that the duo would return with Naruto asleep peacefully on her head. If one were next to the blonde Uzumaki, they would see that his peaceful rest was perfectly accompanied by a warm smile. He was then in Lucoa's arms as she retook her Human-like appearance.

"All wiped out, huh?" she asked rhetorically, smiling at his peaceful expression. Her affection grew as she leaned down and gently kissed the top of his head and hugged him closer to her. "I'm glad you were able to enjoy yourself, Naru-baby. Don't worry about wat the village will do when we return. I promise that I'll keep you safe. After all…"

She started heading inside so that she could tuck him in before joining him on the bed.

When she was sure he was comfortable, she continued, "You're _my_ Naru-baby, and I won't let _anyone_ take you away from me." Absently, she finally felt a connection with Fafnir as she held Naruto and snuggled against him. "I don't care who or what they are; you are mine…"

She gazed at his sleeping face and kissed his forehead before resting her own against it. Her smile went from affectionate to loving as she finished her declaration.

"And I am yours…"

Unconsciously, Naruto's smile grew in his sleep.

* * *

 **Finally finished with this update! And I did it in my hotel room while I'm in San Jose for the Crunchyroll Expo! I'm feeling pretty proud of myself!**

 **Hope you all liked these three episodes! The next will have Naruto, Lucoa, and Yugao return to the village after one last outing in Koshigaya.**

 **Also, I want to let you guys and gals know about something that has come up. Now, normally I don't take on Challenge Ideas since most times they ask me at a bad time, or I feel I have too much on my plate.**

 **HOWEVER!**

 **A fellow author by the penname** _ **XXX777**_ **has offered me a challenge that was rather simple. I've already discussed what I would like to do for it with them, and they've given me their total support.**

 **The challenge is simple: a** _ **Naruto/Highschool DxD**_ **crossover where Yasaka and Kuroka wind up in Naruto's world and choose to stay with him.**

 **That's it! So, I've decided to accept! As a heads up to anyone who will read it when I post, I want you all to know that I'll be making this a triple cross between** _ **Naruto**_ **,** _ **DxD**_ **, and** _ **Monster Musume**_ **!**

 **Until the next chapter for this story AND the first chapter for the challenge idea!**

 _ **~pain17ification~**_


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